Detroit Pistons lose big lead to the Toronto Raptors in Kyle Lowry’s return
By Duncan Smith
The Detroit Pistons led by as much as 20 in the second quarter and by 15 in the third quarter but were unable to hold off the visiting Toronto Raptors.
The Detroit Pistons displayed some of energy they’ve been lacking tonight against the Toronto Raptors. They jumped all over the visitors early and had an 18 point lead after the first quarter.
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This marked the first game back for Kyle Lowry after missing the Raptors’ previous 21 games, and he made his presence felt as he cued a comeback from as much as 20 points behind in the second quarter.
Lowry led all scorers with 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting and added 10 assists to make up for a sub-par outing from backcourt-mate DeMar DeRozan.
The Pistons were led in scoring by Tobias Harris with 16 points as he came in off the bench for Jon Leuer, who scored six points in 14 minutes.
Without further ado, let’s get to our grades.
PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH. B-. <a rel=
C+. <a rel=. SG/SF. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK
C+. <a rel=. SF. Detroit Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS
Jon Leuer’s swoon continues as he becomes a starter in name only. That should be his role all along if in fact he must start, but he only mustered 14 minutes on the floor tonight, scoring six points on five shots. He added five rebounds, including one defensive rebound in which he sent <a rel=. PF. Detroit Pistons. JON LEUER. C-
C+. Andre Drummond’s recent reduced touches continued tonight as he took just seven shots, scoring 11 points and adding 14 rebounds. He went 3-for-10 from the free throw line which actually raises his free throw percentage since the All Star break.. C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND
C+. Tobias Harris came out of the gates on fire, hitting his first three shots in the first quarter. He leveled off thereafter, hitting just four of his final 13 shots. He led the Pistons in scoring and had a shot just before the buzzer from long range to tie but came up short. Harris didn’t have much impact on the box score outside of that, adding just two rebounds, an assist and a block.. PF. Detroit Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS
STANLEY JOHNSON. C. <a rel=. SF. Detroit Pistons
C. Detroit Pistons. AARON BAYNES. B+. <a rel=
Detroit Pistons. BENO UDRIH. B. <a rel=. PG
Inc. <a rel=. SG. Detroit Pistons. DARRUN HILLIARD
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was announced out for this game for personal reasons, but he was not deactivated. When he emerged from the locker room shortly before halftime, we realized he was still eligible to play. Sure enough, he started the second half with the other starters. He finished the game with two points on 1-of-5 shooting, including a miss with about five seconds to go to tie the game. He added a rebound, an assist and two steals in 17 surprise minutes.. SG. Detroit Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE. C-